Rhine L. McLin's story

Rhine McLin was born in Dayton on October 3, 1948. She made history as the first African American woman elected to the Ohio Senate and the first woman Mayor of Dayton.

McLin grew up in a political family. Her grandfather, C.J. McLin Sr., was President of the Dayton N.A.A.C.P. and the first African American to run for City Commission. Her father, C.J. McLin, Jr., served in the Ohio House of Representatives for 22 years. After he succumbed to cancer, Rhine was appointed to replace him in 1989. She recalls feeling surprised that her father designated her as his replacement. In her words, “politics was never on my radar.”

McLin’s family owned the McLin Funeral Home in Dayton, where her first job was carrying flowers at funerals. As a child she took piano, violin, and dance lessons in addition to roller skating, baton twirling and cheerleading. McLin graduated from Dunbar High School and went to Parsons College in Iowa on a cheerleading scholarship. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in sociology and secondary education from Parsons. McLin later earned a Master of Education from Xavier University, as well as an Associate of Applied Science degree and her embalmer certification from the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science.

From 1972 to 1988 McLin was Director and Embalmer at the McLin Funeral Home. She also taught at Central State University from 1982 to 1997 and served on the Ohio Lottery Commission from 1984 to 1989.

In 1989 McLin was appointed to her late father’s seat in the Ohio House, where she finished his term and was reelected twice. She championed legislation to protect the vulnerable, including a bill requiring background checks to work with children, a bill establishing a statewide registry for convicted pedophiles, and a bill fining doctors who fail to report incompetent colleagues for medical malpractice.

In 1994 McLin became the first African American woman elected to the Ohio Senate, where she continued to be a voice for the vulnerable. She also made history as the first African American woman to serve as Senate Minority Leader (interim).

McLin ran an historic campaign for Mayor of Dayton in 2001, becoming the city’s first woman mayor. McLin’s love of people was reflected in her regular “Mayor’s Walks,” “Mayor’s Days,” and frequent travel on the city bus. McLin strengthened relations between the City Commission and the Dayton Public School Board and forged regional cooperation initiatives with surrounding communities. McLin was reelected mayor in 2005.

McLin’s career in public service also includes membership on the Miami Valley Fair Housing Board and the Montgomery County Board of Elections. She also served as Vice Chair of the Ohio Democratic Party from 2004 to 2020 and was Interim Chair in 2005. 

McLin’s numerous awards include the Ohio Democratic Party’s Gertrude Donahey Award, the Dayton Daily News’ Top Ten Women, the Breaking the Glass Ceiling Award of the Columbus Area Women’s Political Caucus, the Dayton Business Journal’s Top 28 Most Influential People, and the Dayton YWCA’s “Women of Influence” Award.